BTOB's Yook Sungjae Reveals Senior Girl Group Stars Were Sliding Into His DMs at Debut

BTOB members Eunkwang and Yook Sungjae gave fans plenty to talk about on the March 27 episode of Jeon Hyunmu Plan 3 (MBN/Channel S), but it was Sungjae's candid debut-era confession that truly stole the show. While touring hidden food spots in Yongin with hosts Jeon Hyunmu and Kwak Tube, Sungjae admitted that senior girl group members once reached out to him with romantic interest — and his reaction at the time was priceless.

"There were senior girl group members who contacted me during my early debut days," Sungjae revealed, breaking into a smile. "I remember thinking, wow — a person this amazing actually likes me?" His honest, self-deprecating delivery sent the studio into laughter, but the moment also gave a rare, unfiltered glimpse into what life was like for the group at the very beginning of their career.

BTOB's Secret to 14 Years Together

The episode marked yet another milestone in BTOB's remarkable run. Eunkwang, the group's leader, was asked to name the real reason behind the group's extraordinary longevity — and without hesitation, he pointed straight at the youngest member. "The reason BTOB has lasted 14 years is Sungjae," Eunkwang said simply, drawing loud agreement from the room.

It's a sentiment that carries real weight. BTOB debuted under Cube Entertainment in 2012 and has defied the typical idol group lifecycle to remain one of K-pop's most beloved acts. Unlike many groups that quietly fade after five or six years, BTOB has held their fanbase — known as MELODY — through solo careers, military service, label negotiations, and everything in between. The answer, according to Eunkwang, starts with the member who keeps the energy alive.

Sungjae himself seemed both touched and a little embarrassed by the tribute. What he did open up about, though, was how the group's early years were far from guaranteed success.

Finding a Way Through the Hard Years

Asked about the group's early career struggles, Sungjae was refreshingly candid. "When things weren't going well with the music, I looked for other ways — variety shows, dramas," he said. Rather than waiting for a breakthrough album or viral moment, Sungjae pursued every available stage to stay visible and grow. His gamble paid off: he went on to star in hit dramas including Who Are You: School 2015 and Goblin, building a parallel acting career that expanded BTOB's reach far beyond music fans alone.

He also addressed the group's revenue-sharing model during the early lean years. "The earnings were split equally among all the members," he noted — an arrangement that required real trust and commitment from everyone in the group. It's the kind of detail that fans rarely hear discussed openly, and it added another layer to the picture of just how collectively BTOB navigated their path to stability.

A Food Tour With Personal Meaning

The backdrop for all of these revelations was a food tour through Yongin that neither member had to think twice about. Sungjae led the group to a spot specializing in acorn tray noodles and acorn porridge — his mother's go-to takeout restaurant — while Eunkwang brought everyone to a family restaurant he's been visiting for years, known for its pioneering nurungji baeksuk (crispy rice crust chicken stew).

The juxtaposition of homegrown comfort food with surprisingly deep personal revelations is exactly what makes Jeon Hyunmu Plan 3 work. Hosts Jeon Hyunmu and Kwak Tube have built the show's identity around getting guests to drop their guard in between bites, and Eunkwang and Sungjae delivered on that premise fully.

What Fans Are Saying

Clips from the episode spread quickly on social media after the broadcast. MELODY and general viewers alike zeroed in on Sungjae's admission about the senior girl group messages, with many finding his reaction — more amused disbelief than ego — entirely in character. "He's so Sungjae about it" was a common response online, a shorthand among fans for the mix of genuine humility and easy charisma that has made him one of K-pop's more enduringly likable figures.

Eunkwang's tribute to Sungjae also circulated widely, with many MELODY noting that the relationship between the two members — leader and youngest, polar opposites in personality — has long been one of the group's defining dynamics. The fact that Eunkwang credited the maknae as the group's anchor after fourteen years together resonated deeply with fans who have watched BTOB grow up in real time.

What Comes Next for BTOB

BTOB has been relatively quiet on the group activity front as members complete or return from their mandatory military service obligations, but the group has consistently signaled their intention to keep going. Sungjae himself discharged from his mandatory service in 2022 and has since remained active in both music and acting. Eunkwang, known for his powerhouse vocals, has continued solo activities in the meantime.

With their 14th anniversary approaching and their fanbase as passionate as ever, BTOB's appearance on Jeon Hyunmu Plan 3 served as a timely reminder of why the group has stuck around. It wasn't a comeback announcement or a new single — it was just two members sitting down to eat, laughing about the old days, and being exactly themselves. For MELODY, that's more than enough.

BTOB: A Brief History of K-Pop Perseverance

To understand why Eunkwang and Sungjae's conversation resonated so deeply, it helps to know what BTOB has been through. The seven-member group — whose full name stands for Born to Beat — debuted in March 2012 under Cube Entertainment with a sound that blended hip-hop energy with pop hooks and harmonies few idol groups could match. Their early years were characterized by consistent releases and a devoted domestic following, even as they struggled to achieve the kind of mainstream commercial breakthrough that would have put them in the same conversation as the biggest acts of their generation.

What happened next is the part of the BTOB story that fans hold most dear. Rather than burning out or disbanding when the going got tough, each member invested in his own growth and the group stayed intact. Sungjae moved into acting. Vocalist Hyunsik leaned further into songwriting. Changsub developed his own style as a soloist. The result was a group that returned from every hiatus — including years disrupted by mandatory military service — more secure in their identity than before.

By the time BTOB celebrated their tenth anniversary in 2022, they had become something rare in K-pop: a group whose longevity felt genuinely earned. Their 2024 and 2025 fan-con events drew thousands, with MELODY filling venues to capacity in a way that left little doubt the group's bond with their fandom had only deepened with time.

Eunkwang's comment about Sungjae being the group's secret ingredient may have been delivered lightly on a variety show, but it points to something real: the ability of one member's warmth and versatility to serve as connective tissue between fans, co-members, and the broader entertainment world. That Sungjae himself responds to such tributes with quiet deflection rather than pride is, according to longtime fans, exactly the point.